President Donald Trump has praised an NFL ban on players kneeling during the national anthem, questioning whether such protesters should stay in the US.
He said: "You have to stand proudly for the national anthem or you shouldn't be playing, you shouldn't be there, maybe you shouldn't be in the country."
The interview was aired a day after the NFL said clubs will be fined if players kneel for the Star-Spangled Banner.
The players have been protesting over perceived police brutality since 2016.
In an interview with Fox & Friends filmed on Wednesday, Mr Trump said of the NFL's decision: "The people pushed it forward, not me. I brought it out."
[Last autumn in Alabama, Mr Trump called on protesting players to be fired.]
["Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a bitch off the field right now, out, he's fired. He's fired,'" Mr Trump said at the time.]